My 2nd year in Korea is coming to a close. It was my first full year in Korea as a single lady. I spent most of my time with my students, my girlfriends, and gay men. Here’s the advice I would have given to myself in 2013 but in reality I didn’t need it cause I learned it all anyway.
Let your body just BE. Treat it good, talk to it nice, dress it the way you like it.
Koreans in your town are conservative and are going to stare at you whether you wear a turtle neck or a tube top, so just wear whatever you want.
Writing every day is not only possible, but mandatory.
Making your bed in the morning is the single best thing you can do for the outcome of the rest of your day.
Stop thinking in terms of what you do and do not “deserve” because we all deserve it all, hunty.
Positivity attracts positivity and positivity is more fun than whatever else you were doing before. But cynicism sure is funny.
Every now and then you need to leave your friends and go out alone. Yes, it sounds scary but you won’t regret it and it’ll give you confidence to do it again.
Did you know that clothes are really fun? Spend time putting outfits together and wear them with as much confidence outside the house as you do inside.
Meeting new people isn’t the worst. IT’S NOT THE BEST, but it’s not as bad as you think and I’m sure it’ll make you a better person in some way (that way is not yet clear).
Carry condoms eh-vuh-ree-where.
Appreciate the day. Say it out loud. “These flowers are beautiful.” “This book is really great.” "How lucky am I that this watermelon is on sale?"
Do not fill your “alone time” with TV. Go out and get coffee. Read and write. Otherwise boredom can start to look like loneliness.
Make-up is also fun. Wear it as much or as little as you want.
If you’re torn between taking a backpack or taking your purse: take the backpack.
Treat yourself when you can. Give when you can. Money comes and goes.
Buy vegetables the day you're going to use them, and no sooner.
Take the initiative with men. Don’t wait around because you think that’s what is expected of you.
Keep the guitar and the yoga mat out of their cases; you'll use them more.
Speak up when someone says something ignorant, but try VERY hard not to come from anger.
Don’t preface your opinion with an apology.
Trust your sense of direction even if it gets you lost (a lot).
People bend the truth a lot of the time for various reasons. It doesn’t make them bad people, it just makes them people who wanted to tell a better story.
Take advantage of every opportunity to swim.
You have traditionally masculine and feminine traits. Show and love them all.
Things I Have Not Yet Learned:
I guess it was a good year.
